Method of making soap particles



Feb. 9, 1937. H, J, c o Ls 2,070,308

METHOD OF MAKING SOAP PARTICLES Filed Jan. 18, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor gflzwma 5y hisAZZorneys Feb. 9, 1937. H. J. NICHOLLS METHOD OF MAKING SOAP PARTICLES Filed Jan. 18, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .55 hZAZZorn/eys Patented Feb. 9, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Henry J. Nicholls, Minneapolis, Minn., assignor to Sunlite Company, Incorporated, a corporation of Minnesota Application January 18, 1933, Serial No. 652,331

, 3 Claims.

My invention relates to a method and apparatus for treating materials such as solids, powders, and dielectric liquids with ozone and particularly adapted for use in the manufacture of 5 ozonated soap powder and soap flakes.

It is an object of my invention to provide a simple and effective method and apparatus for treating materials with ozone while the materials are being subjected to agitation.

Another object is to provide such apparatus wherein materials may be subjected to ozone while being broken up.

It has been found that soap which has been impregnated with ozone is superior to soaps which contain no ozone. The ozone carrying soap whitens white fabrics and restores the brightness to colored fabrics. It preserves the strength of fabrics and restores softness of woolens which have previously become hardened and shrunken. It reduces the amount of lint formed on table linens 2 and bed linens and does not leave odors ,in the fabrics. The ozone prevents rancidity in the soap.

It is a more specific object of my invention to provide apparatus capable of effectively impregnating soap materials with ozone wherein ozone is applied to coarse materials during the agitation thereof incidental to reducing such materials to flakes or powder.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the various views, and, in which,

Fig. 1 is a vertical view of an embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 as indicated by the arrows, and

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of the ozone generator of my apparatus.

Referring to the drawings, the major parts of my appartus are a hammer mill A, a blower B, a conduit C connecting the outlet of the hammer mill A to the inlet of the blower B, a cyclone dust collector D, a conduit E connecting the outlet of the blower B to the inlet of the dust collector D, a dust bag F, a conduit G connecting the dust outlet of the dust collector D to the dust bag F, a receiver H connected to the material outlet of the dust collector D, an inlet passage J communicating with the interior of the hammer mill A, an ozone generating device K, a conduit L connecting the outlet of the generating unit to the interior of the inlet passage J, and a feeding trough M for the material to be treated communicating with the interior of the inlet passage J.

The hammer mill A includes a housing In hav- 5 ing a pair of aligned bearing boxes ll respectively located in opposite sides thereof and a shaft I2 extending through the bearing boxes H and projecting at its respective ends a substantial distance outwardly from the bearing boxes. One projecting end of the shaft is provided with a pulley l3. Within the housing I0 a series of disks I4 are mounted on the shaft l2. A series of radially extending links l5 are respectively pivotally attached to each of the disks M at spaced annularly disposed points thereon. A striker I6 is pivotally attached to the outer end of each of the links l5.

Below and at one side of the assembly including the disks [4, the links l5, and the strikers IS, a partition l1, formed of heavy wire netting or other suitable material, is arranged, as shown, to separate the lowermost portion of the interior of the housing 10 from the portions thereabove. The lowermost portion of the housing is connected to one end of the conduit C which, at its remaining end, is connected to the intake of the blower B. The blower B is of conventional design and has driving connections with the shaft l2. The outlet of the blower B is connected by means of the conduit E to the inlet of the dust collector D. The dust collector is of the type identified as the cyclone dust collector which is well known in the milling industry and other industries. The dust outlet of the dust collector is connected by means of the conduit G to the interior of the dust bag F and the outlet for dust free material is connected to the interior of a receiver H.

An open topped inclined trough M communi- 4 cates at its lower end with the upper interior portion of the housing ll] of the hammer mill. Adjacent the housing ID a rectangular casing J is mounted above the trough M with its interior communicating with the interior of the trough.

An ozone generating device K includes two ozone generators l8 each communicating with a mixing chamber I9. The mixing chamber is connected to the interior of the casing J by means of the conduit L. 5

Each of the ozone generators l8 includes a series of rectangular electrodes 20 formed of metallic screen or other suitable electrical conducting material, each electrode being clamped between a pair of plates 2| and 22. Each group. 54

consisting of an electrode 20, a plate 2!, and a plate 22, is spaced from adjacent similar groups by means of spacers 23 located at the end portions of the plates 2! and 22 as shown. The spacers 23 and the plates 2! and 22 define passages in which ozone is generated and through which air to be permeated with ozone is passed. The electrodes 20 are connected by means of electrical conductors 24 to a source of high voltage electrical energy in such a'manner that a high potential exists between each electrode and the electrodes adjacent thereto.

Operation The operation of the above described apparatus as applied particularly to its use in the manufacture of soap is as follows:

The pulley I 3, from which the hammer mill A and the blower B are driven, is connected by means of a belt or other suitable means to a source of rotative mechanical power such as an electric motor and the ozone generating device K is connected to a source of high voltage electrical energy. I

The feet, or blocks, of soap to be subdivided to form flakes or powder and to be treated with ozone, are first broken into relatively large pieces and are then placed in the inclined trough M from which they will feed by gravity into the hammer mill A. If it is desired to break up and mix together two or more materials and to treat the mixture with ozone, the materials may all be placed in the desired proportions in the trough M. The rapidly rotating strikers I 6 repeatedly strike the pieces of material and break them to form progressively smaller pieces. The screen partition permits particles small enough to pass therethrough to drop into the space therebelow but prevents escape of larger pieces of material from the path of the strikers 56. The particles of soap in flake or powder form, in the lower por-- tion of the hammer mill housing II] are drawn through the conduit 0 by the blower B and are forced through the conduit E into the cyclone dust collector D. Dust removed from the material is delivered to the dust bag F through the conduit G and the dust free particles of material are delivered to the receiver H. It is obvious that the dust free particles of material may be delivered to apparatus for other processing of the material instead of to a receiver.

Simultaneously with the above described action the suction of the blower B causes ozone originating in the ozone generating device K to pass through the conduit L, the inlet chamber J and the portion of the trough M located beneath the chamber J into the interior of the hammer mill A from whence the ozone, mingled with the particles of material, passes through the conduit C, the blower B, the conduit E and the cyclone dust collector D.

with passing through the various parts of my apparaaoraaoe It will be noted that the material passing through my apparatus is mingled with ozone continuously from the time it reaches the lower portion of the trough M until it is deposited in the receiver H. As the material is being broken up in the hammer mill, the flying particles of material are surrounded by swirling ozone. The result of the material being in intimate contact ozone while being broken up and while tus is that a considerable quantity of ozone is absorbed by the material.

While the particular embodiment of my invention shown and described is particularly adapted for the -manufacture of ozonated soap flakes, it is obvious that my apparatus is readily adaptable for use in impregnating materials of many kinds with ozone.

It is apparent that I have invented a novel, inexpensive, and efiective apparatus for breaking up and mixing materials and simultaneously impregnating the same with ozone while said materials are being subject to violent agitation.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the various parts without departing from the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:-

1. The method of treating solid soap, consisting of mechanically subdividing pieces of soap into smaller pieces and simultaneously keeping said sub-divided material surrounded by an atmosphere permeated with ozone whereby new surfaces of said material created by said subdivision are in intimate contact with said atmosphere at the instant said new surfaces are created so as to absorb ozone.

2. The method of treating solid soap having gas receptive pores, consisting of mechanically subdividing pieces of such soap into smaller pieces and simultaneously keeping said sub-divided material surrounded by an atmosphere permeated with ozone whereby pores of said soap newly exposed by said subdivision will fill with ozone and hence prevent subsequent filling of said pores with air.

3. The method of treating, consisting of continuously progressing a. stream of pieces of such a soap while, at a point on'sald stream, continuously subdividing said pieces into smaller pieces as they pass said point, and simultaneously supplying atmosphere permeated with ozone to a zone surrounding said point to continuously keep material undergoing subdivision surrounded by ozone permeated atmosphere whereby new surfaces of said material created by subdivision of the material are in intimate contact with said atmosphere to absorb ozone therefrom at the instant said new surfaces are created.

HENRY J. NICHOLLS; 

